Pelican Bay State Prison inmate Felipe Rocha was eating dinner in March when he “chewed on a crunchy object” in his cornbread and discovered the fingertip, according to the lawsuit filed against GA Food Services Inc.

The Florida company wrote a letter of apology to the prison regarding the “foreign object” in the food, and acknowledged a worker “severed” the tip of a finger while cleaning machinery when the cornbread was produced last July.

Rocha’s attorney said his client is a Buddhist — and a vegetarian. Rocha, who is serving time on a drug conviction, lost 15 pounds in six days because he could not eat and is still in counseling, his lawyer said.

In March, a Las Vegas woman claimed she bit into a fingertip in a bowl of chili at a Wendy’s restaurant in San Jose. Wendy’s officials insisted the digit had been planted, and the woman was charged last month with conspiracy to commit fraud and grand theft.